I had a horror story from using pencils. I bought a washable pencil package from Dritz. All of them were supposed to wash out except for one, which was for marking template plastic. So, I set that one aside and decided to use the gray washable on a neon-colored quilt for my daughter. After I was done sewing the top I washed it to get rid of the pencil markings before quilting and they never came out. I put it threw 10 times! Finally, I had to alter the pattern to make it less noticable but it still haunts me. Even tailor's chalk stays in sometimes. Now I ust hela markers and a lot of pins. But others I know have no problems with those pencils. I must have had a fluke but I'm scarred from that one fluke.